Latch for tiltable dump-bodies



Dec. 17-, 1929. L. E. WILLIAMS LATCH FOR TILTABLE DUMP BODIES Original Filed April 2'7, 1927 Patented Dec. 17, 1929' LEROY E. WILLIAMS, 0]? ElDGERTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO HIGHWAY TRAILER,

COMPANY, OF EDGERTON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN LATCH FOR DUMB-BODIES Original application filed April 27, 1927,.Seria1 No. 186,836. Divided and this application filed April 12,

1929. Serial This is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 186,836, filed April 27, 1927, relating to dump body vehicles of the type adapted to be tilted or rolled for d1s charging the load by gravity. The ob ect of this invention is the provision of improved. means forlatching the body to the frame when the former is in upright position. It consists in the elements and features of construction, in combination, herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure '1 is a view in side elevation of a vehicle equipped with latch means embodied in the present invention; the vehicle proper being shown somewhat diagrammatically, and broken to condense the view.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View in side elevation, showing the body in dumping position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the latch means taken as indicated at the line 3'3 on Figure 1, with the I skirt board and foot step omitted.

Figure4 is an enlarged view of the latch means, taken substantially as indicated at the line 4c4 on Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated at the line 55 on Figure 3, showing the cams rotated to a position for releasing the locking pin. I

The present invention is illustrated in the drawings in connectionwith a motor vehicle having a chassis, 10, including a pair of longitudinally extending side frame members, 11, suitably braced together and mounted on supporting wheels, 12. A dump body of conventional construction is indicated at 13, mounted on a pair of transversely spaced rockers, 14, which are adapted to roll on lon- I gitudinally disposed tracks, 15, carried in the side frame members, 11, adjacent the rear end thereof, whereby said body is adapted to be'ca'rried rearwardly and elevated to tilting position for discharging its load by gravity. The rockers are preferably positioned so that the point at which they normally support the body when the same is in horizontal position, is slightly forward of the center of gravity of the body, so that when the body is loaded fairly uniformly, there will be a tendency of the body to tilt rearwardly under the infiu ence of gravity. I

The body is limited in its tilting movement by a check link connected to the under side of the body,- adjacent its middle, forwardly of the rockers. Said check link is composed of a link, 17, pivotally connected at its upper end to lugs, 18, on the under side of the body and its lower end having a yielding pivotal connection with the upper .end of the link, 19, which has its opposite end pivotally connected to lugs, 20, secured on a transverse frame member, 21, mounted on the side frames, 11.. The yielding connection at the joint of the links, 17 and 19, comprises a pair of coil springs, 22, housed in casings, 23,

formed integrally on the lower end of the link, 7 17, and the link, 19, is formed to co-operate therewith and compress said springs as said links substantially approach straight-line position.

This ylelding 00111180131011 of the toggle links serves as a shock absorber for gradually. re-

tarding the motion of the body andcounteracting the impact and jarring usually incident to dumping action of mechanisms of this character. Alink chain, 24:, is connected to the upper end of the toggle link, 19, and is adapted to be. pulled by means hereinafter described, for startingsaid links buckling forwardly to permit the body to be returned to horizontal position. i

The forward end of the body is provided with supplemental or auxiliary supports in the nature of cast pedestals, 26, spacedtransversely and secured to the under side of the body. As will hereinafter appear, these pedestals co-operate with my improved latch means for securing the body in horizontal position on the frame. The lower ends ofsaid pedestals are bifurcated fore-and-aft, forming grooves, 27, which are adaptedto register withand be seated upon upstandinglugs, 28, of bracket members, 29, which are spotwelded in position on a transversely extend ing angle member, 30, which member is supported at its outer ends on and secured to the rear end of the latch or looking mechanism housings, 31, which are mounted on each of the frame members, 11, by means of bolts, 32, and U-bolts, 33. The tongue and groove feature of the pedestals and lugs, 23,

' prevent lateral movement of the body with respect to the frame, when the former is in horizontal position, and also eliminates possible weaving of the various members.

Integral with and extending forwardly from the pedestals are brackets, 34, in the lower end of whichare firmly secured, transversely disposed locking pin members, 35, which project laterally outward for engagement with the latching mechanisms on opposite sides of the chassis, and adapted to be. positively and firmly held in their seats, 36, formed in the housings, 31. It will be understood that a single rod may be employed in lieu of the pins, 35', carried by the pedestals. These locking mechanisms each includes a pair of combination cam and gear members mounted in said housings; each member consisting of a gear segment, 40, of slightly more than a 90 section, formed integral with a laterally adjacent cam member, 41.- Said cam is provided with an annular face of slightly more than a 90 section, connecting to the gear segment at a point a trifle lower than the middle thereof. The face of the cam is slightly less than the pitch diameter of the gear segment, so that when mounted in as sembled relation, the cams will have proper clearance for rotation when the gear segments are in mesh. One of the combination members is loosely journalled on a stub shaft, 43, fixed in the forward end of the housing, 31, the gear. segment thereof being meshed withthe gear segment of the other member which is. fixedly secured on an operating shaft, 44, which shaft extends across to the opposite mechanism and the corresponding combination member thereof is also rigidly secured thereon. Said shaft is provided journal support inthe rear part of the housings,

31, and one end thereof extends laterally beyond the housing and is bent upwardly to form an operating handle, 45, positioned for convenient manipulation.

Each of the cams is formed with a lug, 46,

extending downwardly from the lower cornor of the cam face, and has an obliquely disposed coil spring, 47, connected thereto at one end, and the other end of said spring being connected to the base of the housing, so

that when the members are rotated the ten-v middleof the vehicle, and-is connected to the I end of the chain, 24, so that by again swinging the operating handle forwardly, the slack in the chain is taken up, and a pull exerted .on the toggle links, 17- and 19,,to ,startthem.

buckling forwardly; the weight'of the body then automatically returning it to upright position. As the body approaches horizontal position, the pins, 35, impinge substantially centrally against the faces of the respective pairs of cams, forcing the combination members to rotate, and causing the cams to .separate to permit the pins to pass downwardly therebetween, and lodge in their seats, 36, in said housings, 31. i

During this time the pedestals become seated in supporting positiononthe upstanding lugs, 28; the cams then being snapped back to original position by their springs, 47, thus closing over the pins to hold them captive in their seats to maintain the body in horizontal position. It is to be understood that the designand arrangement of parts is such that the cams are permitted free rotation when the pins are in posit-ion in their comprising a horizontally extending locking pin carried on the body, apair of interme'shing gears with laterally projecting cam faces, having annular portions closely adjacent each other and non-circular portions registerable with each other when the gears are rotated to provide a space for the passage of the pin, and means for returning said gears to bring their annular cam portions into proximity for holding the locking pin captive.

2. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means, for returning the gears being spring means adapted to rotate them through a partof a revolution, and means operable at will for turning said gears in opposition to the spring means to release the locking pin.

3. In the combination defined in claim 1,

a bearing frame supporting said gears, said tions being arranged to extend in approximately horizontal direction at a plane above the common center line of the gears to receive the impact of the locking pin whereby the latter will rotate the gears and pass between said impact port-ions, the means for returning said gears into locking position being designed for automatically causing said locking movement.

5. In combination with a vehicle frame and a tiltable load-receiving body thereon, a supplemental support for the body on the frame locking means adjacent said support for maintaining said body in upright position on the frame, said means including a horizontally disposed locking pin carried by the support, a pair of intermeshing gears with laterally projecting cam faces having annular portions closely adjacent each other and non-circular portions registerable with each other when the gears are rotated to provide a space for the passage of the pin, and means for returning said gears to bring their annular camp portions into proximity for holding the locking pin captive.

LEROY E. WILLIAMS. 

